Once More, with Feeling
by Auranea
Summary: Itachi has a bit of a problem. He'd like to impress a certain artist - but to do so, he needs help from a certain blonde who happens to hate him. Will the Uchiha be able to settle their differences to get the drawing lessons he needs, and will they even work? oneshot


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Just a oneshot for the hell of it. Hope you like it, please let me know if you do!

**ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING**

* * *

There she was, lovely as always. The raven haired Uchiha watched her closely as her nimble fingers folded precise creases in the paper she was working with. So far he could not tell what she was making but he knew, whatever it was, it would be extraordinary. Everything she made was.

Itachi observed a few moments longer before he came to a decision - no matter what he did, Konan never noticed him. Perhaps she had feelings for their leader, they were partners after all. No, that was an absurd idea, a woman could never love someone so... unfeeling. Then again, wasn't that exactly what he was?

Itachi clenched his jaw, he was well aware of his handsome features but for some reason _she_ never spared a second glance at him. It was slightly unnerving and definitely irritating considering he wanted her attention most. Her amber eyes retained their focus on her current project.

Now he could see it start to take shape - a rose, similar to the one in her hair. He had often imagined the pleasure of running his fingers through those violet strands. The desire to hear his name on her lips, to melt the frost from her voice as she spoke to him.

But chances were that would never happen - _unless I get some outside advice that is._

A rare smirk pulled at Itachi's lips, twisting his face into an even more appealing state. He blinked his onyx eyes. The man he planned on enlisting for help would be considerably less willing if he were reminded of the Sharingan. In many ways, he was shocked that he would even consider going to that annoyance but he knew that if anyone could teach him how impress Konan, it was this man.

He steeled himself, locking into his resolve. The Uchiha was a patient, level-headed man, he would accomplish his goal no matter the cost to himself. He rapped gently on the door and watched as the knob twisted revealing none other than the man he'd been looking for.

"What do _you _want, yeah?"

Itachi's teeth gritted together silently, "I would like to ask for your- assistance."

It took all of his willpower to force the words off of his tongue. They clung to his lips as if letting go would mean the entire loss of his dignity. The blonde was staring at him with a practically unhinged jaw and he seemed to be searching for signs of deceit in Itachi's face.

"What, you lost your mind and you need some help finding it, un?" he sneered.

"Trust me, I wouldn't be coming to you," Itachi retorted, nodding towards his prosthetic arm.

This gesture seemed to tick Deidara off even more because his eye narrowed and he made a move to slam the door shut. Itachi stuck his sandaled foot in the door and watched as the self-made breeze displaced blonde bangs, revealing extreme irritation in two visible cerulean eyes.

"Get your damn foot out of my way, yeah!"

"Not until you agree to help me."

"What the hell could you _possibly _need my help with!" Deidara yelled, baring his teeth.

"I need to learn a form of art to impress... someone."

There was a slight pause where their eyes met and Deidara's eyebrows knit together in a mixture of confusion and mistrust. He obviously doubted the sincerity of Itachi's words and was now once again searching the Uchiha's blank face for some sort of hidden intention.

"Who?"

"That's none of your concern."

Deidara's eyes widened a degree, "Oh - I didn't know you swung that way Itachi, un."

It was Itachi's turn to be puzzled but, unlike the blonde, it wasn't evident on his face. He could honestly say he had no idea what Deidara was on about now. What did he mean by 'swung that way', was he implying Itachi had questionable sexuality? _But who could he think I'm talking about..._

Then it hit him.

"I am _not _talking about Sasori."

Deidara looked slightly relieved, "Then Konan?"

"If you must know, yes."

The blonde looked at him thoughtfully for a moment as if assessing him. Then he finally opened his door all the way and gestured for Itachi to enter. The arrogant man pulled out a chair and sat on the bed opposite it. He waited for Itachi to be seated before speaking again.

"What do you want to learn, un?"

"Anything that will impress her," he shrugged.

Deidara considered this before nodding slowly. He withdrew a sketchpad from underneath his mattress. It was a wonder he could locate anything in this mess - there was clothing scattered across the room along with bunches of crumpled and torn papers. Smudges of clay smeared almost every piece of furniture.

Flipping through multiple pages of ink, the blonde finally stopped and handed it to his Uchiha pupil.

Itachi took the pad and regarded the page it was opened to it. Covering it was a rather elaborate painting of a bird, but seeing as he wasn't a nature enthusiast he was unable to discern what type. However, he wasn't oblivious to the obvious skill the drawing displayed. It was well done, splashed with a variety of colors that should have clashed but didn't.

He handed the sketchpad back and looked up at Deidara with onyx eyes.

"I would like to learn how to paint."

Deidara smirked, "I figured, un, it's a classy form of art."

Itachi was not used to being so easily evaluated. When it came to style, Deidara read him like a book. He suggested colors that appealed to the Sharingan user and gave him photographs of compelling subjects, all of which inspired Itachi. _How is it that he knows exactly what suits my taste?_

Dispelling the distracting thoughts, Itachi returned his focus to the paper he was sketching furiously on. The blonde had given him numerous pencils and had chosen an interesting picture of a crow in flight for him to practice with. After multiple experimental drafts, the man had found a style that suited him. It was refined and elegant, just as Deidara had expected.

Once he was finished he handed the paper to Deidara for inspection.

"Typical Uchiha, always good at everything, yeah."

Itachi noticed the frown on his face though, "What's wrong with it?"  
"Perfection is not art - passion is."

The novice rolled the words around in his mind, unsure of what the younger man meant. He had drawn the crow with precision, noting every detail and expressing it on his own drawing. There was nothing wrong with it. He had checked.

"There's absolutely no flaw in that drawing."

"That's exactly my point, yeah! It has no personality!"

"It can't have personality, it's just a drawing."

Deidara looked taken aback. His eyes narrowed dangerously and Itachi knew he had just said something very offensive, but he had no idea what it was.

"Get out, un. I can't deal with you right now."

Not seeing any room for negotiation, the elder complied. He rose from the wooden chair, hearing it groan as he shifted to his feet. He exited the room, his head aching. Polished fingernails rose to his temples, kneading them gently as he closed his eyes. _What does he mean by passion?_

Itachi contemplated the unusual words.

Still sitting on his bed with Itachi's drawing in hand, Deidara inspected the work again. There was no doubt - he had talent. The blonde traced a finger across each painstakingly accurate line, exasperation evident in on his face. _He's good, but he won't be great until he learns to put some feeling into it. _

With that thought circulating his mind, Deidara put the drawing down on his nightstand and fell back onto his pillow. He was exhausted and so he lost himself to sleep easily.

* * *

The next morning Deidara awoke to the sound of knocking at his door. He rose to his feet, yawning and dragging his fingers through his long, tangled blonde hair. When he opened the door he was greeted by the onyx eyes of Itachi Uchiha.

"Are you gonna make a habit of this, un, cause I might want to change rooms if you are."

"I want to try again."

Itachi recalled how he spent last night lying awake in his bed. Deidara's words echoing through his mind, keeping him from getting any sleep. He had been determined to do this, to win Konan's admiration. It would be a hard fought battle but he would _not_ be defeated so easily.

The blonde's eyebrows shot up in mild amusement. _So the great Itachi has come back for seconds, un._

"Fine, but this time you do it my way, yeah."

Itachi nodded and Deidara ushered him in for the second time in two days. He considered how strange this was, the man he hated most in this world requesting his aid. To learn how to paint. Itachi Uchiha had come to him for help on impressing a woman. The blonde smirked.

He handed the raven haired shinobi another piece of paper and pointed to the photograph of the crow which was still exactly where he had left it yesterday.

"This time look at the picture and then hand it to me, yeah."

Itachi furrowed his ebony eyebrows, "Then how will I draw it?"

"It's called an imagination, even _you _must have one."

The Uchiha opened his mouth to comment but then thought better of it. As much as he wanted to use that charming sarcasm of his, he knew Deidara would only end up kicking him out again. He couldn't take that risk, he had to accomplish this.

Picking up the pencil and following the instructions of his temporary sensei, Itachi began to sketch from memory. Instead of dwelling on every little detail he filled in parts he couldn't remember with what he felt fit best. When he was finished he turned in the drawing again.

Deidara scrutinized it with cerulean orbs, his lips pressed together into a concentrative expression. When he handed it back to Itachi there was a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Much better, un."

Deidara jumped off of his bed, blonde hair flowing behind him as he walked over to a shelf on the far side of the cluttered room. After moving his hand along the binds of several books he finally pulled one out and flipped through it quickly.

He then closed the distance between the two men and handed the book to Itachi. Itachi flipped through it with a delicate frown, placing his drawing back on the desk. It was empty, he looked at Deidara was questioning orbs and the blonde rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

"You've managed to put emotion into a drawing, you're ready, yeah," he explained.

The Uchiha got up, grinning internally and clutching the blank drawing pad. He grabbed the paint from Deidara's desk and began to more briskly for the door. Just as he pulled it open he turned around, giving the blonde a genuine smile.

"Thank you Deidara."

The blonde turned away with a bored expression, hiding a slight blush. "Whatever, un."

When he heard the door close, Deidara let a smile come across his face, softening his blue eyes. He sat at his desk, staring down at the improvised drawing of the crow. _Go get her, Uchiha._

* * *

Itachi sat on the roof where he had seen Konan rest so many times before. If he was going to get her attention he wanted to do it subtly. He flipped open the sketchpad and began to draw a landscape of the Amegakure sunset. There were clouds blocking the sky so he drew around them, imagining how the sky would look without them.

As his pencil flew across the page he heard light footsteps behind him. He didn't bother to turn around, he knew exactly who it was. Sure enough, within moments Konan had come to stand beside him, glancing over his shoulder at what he was doing.

She had never known Itachi to be the artistic type so when she saw him drawing a rather beautiful outline to be converted into a painting, she was a bit shocked. Who knew the stoic Uchiha had a creative flare? The violet haired woman sure hadn't and she doubted anyone else had either.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a calm voice.

Itachi smirked to himself so Konan wouldn't be able to see. It was working, he could detect the slightest hint of awe in her tone. Something he did not hear often, and never in response to something he was doing. _This is going quite well._

"Nothing much, just painting the sunset."

So he was engaging in an artistic activity! Konan felt her eyes widen a little bit more as she leaned even closer to him. Not satisfied with the view, she began to lower herself until she was sitting on her knees next to him.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Please," he said charmingly.

She smiled graciously though it was by no means the heartwarming expression he was looking for. He studied her out of the corner of his eye as she watched his hand move across the drawing, now filling in the small details. He kept Deidara's words in mind as he did this, adding his own touches here and there.

Konan observed quietly for a few moments and Itachi enjoyed the comfortable silence extending between the two artists. Then as he added the finishing details to the picture he swung it shut and let a sigh escape his lips. He gazed at her with onyx eyes, noting that she was now looking at him intently.

Her amber orbs glittered brightly, appearing to be made of pure gold in the setting sun. Itachi wanted to draw nearer to her but she had not given him any signs of interest yet. He hoped it wouldn't be much longer because his hand had started to cramp and he had little intention to continue sketching tonight.

Finally her pink lips parted, "Itachi, do you think-"

She didn't finish her question, apparently somewhat abashed by the unfinished inquiry. Now she had his complete attention, if he had been any less collected, he might have fallen all over her right then and there. Luckily, Itachi was a very composed man and would not scare away this lovely woman with some sort of fumble.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could teach me how to draw like that?"

He was a bit surprised. Konan was a fantastic artist from what he'd seen but perhaps her skills only extended as far as origami. Whatever the case, he was very pleased with these new developments. The raven haired man didn't even hesitate with his answer.

"It would be my pleasure."

Konan extended another friendly smile in his direction. He felt his heartbeat quicken slightly, this meant he would be spending quite a bit more time with her. Itachi was very glad for his restraint at this point, he couldn't stand the thought of ruining things at such a crucial moment. It would be unthinkable - _I've worked too hard for this._

"What would you like to draw?"

At this, a blush did spread across her cheeks. She turned away from him to hide it but he had seen it already. He wondered what could make such a serious woman redden so furiously. Now he was intrigued by her sudden rush of emotion.

"Well, honestly, I was hoping you could help me draw Pein."

Itachi blinked his onyx eyes. _Did she just...? _Then he got up, his normally perfect posture giving way to slumped shoulders as he walked away. He crossed the roof and entered the building again from the window, leaving a confused Konan staring after him.

As he paced through the stone corridors on his way to his room he passed Deidara. The blonde lit up upon seeing the older man. He tossed his blonde hair behind his shoulder and grinned.

"Well, how'd it go, un?"

"Hn."

"That bad huh?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

With that, the raven haired shinobi stormed off, still slouching. Deidara watched him until he disappeared down the dim halls. His grin faded into a smirk. _Wow, he must've really screwed up, yeah, _the blonde thought before shrugging and entering his own room.

_I should've known he would._


End file.
